An electronic medical record is a digital version of the paper file used in a physician's office or clinic. The EMR contains the medical history of all patients who use the practice and is part of the internal patient record-keeping process.

An EMR provides immediate access to each individual patient's history, allowing the practice to track patient history and identify patients who are due for visits, tests or screenings. It may also be used to assist with diagnosis and treatment.

EMR and Practice Management Software

Physicians enter patient information electronically, using specialized EMR and practice management software, so a complete patient history is readily available. Most EMR software suites provides tools to assist with quality of patient care, including patient-specific reminders, disease-specific flow charts and other reports.

EMR Software Vendors

Vendors of electronic medical records and practice management software may offer specific solutions for optometry or dermatology practices, general practitioners or software designed to meet the needs of chiropractic practices. Software may be cloud-based or deployed on-premises.

Examples of EMR software vendors include:

Contrast EMR With EHR

The EMR contains only the data collected at the provider’s office. In contrast, an electronic health record (EHR) includes the EMR and information from all providers across multiple health care organizations.